DUBAI: Kuwaiti member of Parliament Salwa al-Jassar told al-Rai local newspaper that the Kuwaiti Constitution grants equal rights to men and women and that a number of laws have been passed to protect women's interests in the country. Women's activists in the Gulf have come down harshly on the female MP, saying that “much more needs to be done.” The MP made the comments at a national forum on the priorities and mechanism for addressing women's issues, which ended on Tuesday. The forum was held under the patronage of Social Affairs and Labor Minister Mohammad Al-Afasi. “She can say all she wants, but I left Kuwait for Dubai five years ago because nothing was really getting better for women in the workplace,” said Amani Abdallah, who told Bikya Masr she was repeatedly subjected to what she said was “daily harassment by colleagues and even subordinates.” Refuting allegations that the female lawmakers are working against women, Al-Jassar confirmed the Women Affairs Committee in the Parliament worked on more than 23 draft bills in favor of women last year. Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs Mansour Al-Mansour explained many social issues were discussed in the forum, particularly those that concern women who constitute half of the Kuwaiti society. Commenting on the same issue, Social Development Department Manager Sheikha Al-Odwani disclosed the agenda of the forum included discrimination against women, laws and decisions on the percentage of women accepted in colleges and ministries, and the Credit and Savings Bank (CSB) Law. Al-Odwani confirmed they requested the amendment of some laws to allow women to join the judiciary, incriminate sexual harassment, and establish shelters for abused women. They also stressed the need to enact a law for the protection of women from immoral websites, in addition to enabling women to occupy leadership posts and participate in the decision-making process. MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak expressed her happiness over her participation in the forum, which provided an avenue for a thorough discussion of women's issues. She, however, lamented the exclusion of these issues from the priority list that the government has forwarded to the National Assembly. Abdallah said that “if they want to believe that all is well in Kuwait then it will be a long, uphill battle that women have to fight.” BM
